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It has also effected the businesses around you. Organizations around the globe are feeling the influence, probably the most. The question is has this influence been a positive or a negative one. How are these organizations being effected and how are they using social media to benefit their companies. How is social media used in today’s world from a classroom to an organization is an interesting road to follow. The average college student has at least a cell phone and laptop and has always known how to use the internet.
Social media is integrated into their lives from the start. It has become very common for teachers to use social media in the class room. As McCoy (2013) states, “A blending of fundamentally established instructive assignments with the focused use of Web 2. 0 technologies, such as social media, can yield a fresh approach for teachers” (p. 4. ) The use of social media in the class room creates a heightened sense of global awareness as McCoy explains which is important in today’s world if students are to process information in a clear and concise matter (McCoy, 2013).
These kind of courses are responsible for shaping the future Of business men and women. Understanding how to use and properly process the information obtained through social media these students will go on to create thriving organizations. Within the last few years companies have become more involved in social media. There is practically a Backbone or Twitter account for every company. By using this form of communication they are placing themselves in the light. Becoming completely vulnerable to their customers and competitors.
It has been shown to strengthen the bonds between business to business, “With the evolution of the Internet and Web 2. 0, the use f social media within the BIB environment has progressed from a simple tool used for connecting with friends to an important platform for reaching new buyers and developing deeper relationships with customers” (Rodriguez, Peterson & Krishna, 2012, p. 365). The use of social media applications don’t seem to be taking over but supplementing the regular TV commercials and newspaper ad space.
When Ford Motor Company wanted to advertise their new Ford Focus they chose forty different social media outlets and gave them each a focus to test, at a test track in Spain no less. These videos were then posted to social media applications and the overall feedback was positive (Andalusia, Pangolin’s & Rap, 2012). Before we can positively say there has been a progressive influence on sales, we must understand the important role of sales and marketing in an organization, and ensure the integration of the two in order to see the positive influence in social media.
Just as the reputation of a company can boom within minutes on any given social media platform it can just as quickly be tarnished. With all these organ actions tipping into the light they have to be self-aware and must represent themselves in a manner in which will help their business flourish. “Reputation risk, the possibility or danger of losing ones reputation, presents a threat to organizations in many ways,” (EULA, 201 0, p. 44). EULA (2010) explains research in Harvard Business Review article by Robert Cycles, Scott Newsiest and Roland Chants, that there are three types of reputation risk factors.
Risk increased when the gap between reputation and reality grows, change in consumer expectation, and inability to react in a changing environment (EULA, 010). All these factors are multiplied in a social media setting and can lead to an extremely negative reputation. Social media is the key every organization holds, it is simply a matter of choosing the right door. Although there may be some negativity involved when it comes to social media, companies can use their sales and marketing departments as integrated systems to earn a positive influence on their organization.